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Do you go to the dollar theater? I do and love it.

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Do you go to the dollar theater? I do and love it.

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Old 12-09-02, 01:07 PM
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Do you go to the dollar theater? I do and love it.

Myself? Well I frequent the dollar theater every tuesday at least. Its a goldmine...sort of.

Every tuesday movies cost only a dollar to see at the local second run movie theater. Every other day of the week its $2.00. LOL Expensive!

Despite the traditional style seating (ie no stadium seating), lack of the latest sound exquipment, and some of the weirdest movie goers you have ever seen (some might say this includes me)....I have grown to love the dollar theater.

I have seen so many movies over the past year...that I wouldnt have otherwise seen because I am, like most people, on a budget. The dollar theater lets me see almost all movies I want...while at the same time, leaving me enough money to see the really good movies I want to see in the first run theaters. It also helps me review them to see if they warrant a DVD purchase in the near future. I say "near" because once they hit the dollar theater the DVD is only 2 months away.

For instance, during the past few months I have seen:

The Bourne Identity
Blood Work
Signs
Barbershop
The Tuxedo
White Oleander
XXX
Banger Sisters
Spiderman
Stuart Little 2
Road to Perdition....

and probably some more that I cant remember....point is this. For those movies listed is only cost me, $11.00.

The dollar theater is a great thing, I highly recommend them. Any one else here frequent the second run theater.
Old 12-09-02, 01:15 PM
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Do the have digital sound? Is the projector light bulb set to maximum brightness? These things are obviously not the most important element of a dollar theater, but I'm just curious. We don't have these kind of movie houses in Finland, which is a shame.
Old 12-09-02, 01:20 PM
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The dollar theater I go to does have digital sound....I cant tell you about the brightness of the projection bulb though....

The film prints arent the best in these theaters....because the reels they buy are second run. Lots of nicks and scratches...but hey what do you expect for a dollar.

All in all its great for saving some cash and seeing a lot of movies!!
Old 12-09-02, 01:29 PM
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I go to "second-run" theaters quite often. Any film that's showing at the multiplex will end up there in a couple of months. Movies that I have a small interest in seeing, but I don't care about much (the Star Wars flicks, LOTR, etc.) I wait. My wife and I have caught some excellent stuff, such as Altman's Gosford Park there, too. We go to Subway first and make an "under $10 date" out of it...

ETA: The matinees are fifty cents. One time I paid for a movie with the change I found under my car seat. Is that cool, or what?
Old 12-09-02, 01:34 PM
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The matinees are fifty cents. One time I paid for a movie with the change I found under my car seat. Is that cool, or what?
LOL Thats awesome! My wife and I usually sneak in a can of soda to watch the movies...damn how cheap does that make us seem.
Old 12-09-02, 01:35 PM
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We used to have 2 dollar theaters here in Bham, AL. It was here that I saw Blade for the first time thinking it was going to suck. I also was able to take my family to see Episode I, and many other movies that I didn't feel like paying 8 bucks for. I love them.

Unfortunately, both our dollar theaters closed.
Old 12-09-02, 01:48 PM
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I used to go to the dollar theater to catch films I missed in first run. But they have both since closed, one demolished and replaced by a Target store and the other sitting vacant. The last movie I saw in a dollar theater was Best in Show, nearly 2 years ago.
Old 12-09-02, 01:51 PM
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The one here is a little out of the way, but on Tuesday it's only 50 cents!! Yay!
Old 12-09-02, 02:11 PM
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used to have one back in michigan but havent found any around here in cali.
Old 12-09-02, 02:41 PM
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murpm3: Are you talking about the dollar theater in Buffalo Grove?

And they've already played "Road to Perdition?"

Damn - I only work about a mile from that theater and was hoping to catch that film when it hit there.
Old 12-09-02, 03:26 PM
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Originally posted by grunter
murpm3: Are you talking about the dollar theater in Buffalo Grove?
Of course he does!

Anyway, I go to that one on occasion for several of the reasons listed above

- missed it in the theater
- gf doens't want to see Movie X
- don't want to waste precious weekend time in a theater

Another reason I go to the BG one is they often have movies during the week at 5:00pm or so, meaning I can go right after work and still get home by 7:30pm.
Old 12-09-02, 03:42 PM
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I prefer the older style theaters without the glitz and glam.

Normally, they are dollar theaters, so it's cheap and works well.

And yes, they are WEIRD people there...
Old 12-09-02, 03:47 PM
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I like dollar theaters.

I enjoy the cheap seating and the bad prints. It gives the place character and provides a lot of atmosphere. Sort of reminds me of the old single-screen theater I went to as a kid.

And I also like the clientelle better. I'll take freaks and weirdos over yuppies and dumb, loudmouth jocks any day.
Old 12-09-02, 04:28 PM
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I'm going to have to be the lone dissenting voice. The dollar theater (two actually) that used to be near me was so godawful it wasn't worth two bucks.

For those of you in Canada, it was one of those tiny mall Ciniplexes that used to be everywhere and were a little bigger than your living room. Incredibly ghetto. Ugh.
Old 12-09-02, 04:50 PM
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I used to go to dollar theaters all of the time, but I have no idea where to find one any more.
Old 12-09-02, 05:05 PM
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The dollar theater near me was closed down by the board of health 12 years ago, cuz moviegoers were sick of sharing the theater with big rats and cockroaches

Nowadays all we have here are the multiplexes and stuff
Old 12-09-02, 05:05 PM
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I used to all the time (And the buck fifty was about Batman and Robin was worth) - but since then all the nearby ones have closed down. There's still a couple, but with the driving time and gas costs, I might as well rent when it hits DVD.

Pity.
Old 12-09-02, 05:21 PM
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Our local base theater runs stuff that's only about a month or two old. Cost is .99, and the snack bar is about 1/3 of the price of what we pay on the outside.

These base theaters get very clean prints, provided directly from the studios the Navy Motion Picture Service. The Army and Air Force has similar set ups.

Our theater isn't digital, but it does have a very dynamic surround sound system. I don't ever remember any sound problems, although a bulb popped once.

They're showing The Ring on Thursday, so I'll probably go.
Old 12-09-02, 05:26 PM
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Do you go to the dollar theater?

Hell No!
Old 12-09-02, 06:41 PM
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One of the greatest places to watch a movie in the world is in my area, and it's only $2! It's a classic, 1920's theater called the Tivoli, with a HUGE screen and Dolby Digital. It holds around 1000 people, so there is never a bad seat (just move). Also, they have the organ which rises out of the floor, and have a live organist playing on weekend nights. I think it is a historical landmark, so it'll probably be around for a while. Always fun going to shows there.

Link
Old 12-09-02, 06:44 PM
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Harlem Corners represent!! (Same chain as Buffalo Grove)

I've started going more often in the past year....for those movies that just passed me by or those that I just don't want to spend 5 buck on (matinee always baby!)

It's not digital, but for $2, 1.50 before 6PM, you can't have the world! The prints I've seen all have been in really good condition. I saw Spy Kids 2 a couple weeks ago and the print was in great shape, better than a lot of first run prints I've seen.
Old 12-09-02, 07:40 PM
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i used to go a lot more than i do now, since movies now come out to DVD so quickly. Sometimes they even overlap and there are movies that are already out on DVD that they are still showing. The theatre here is 2$ and it is pretty cool because they serve you at bar type seating. that and the cheap popcorn reels me in.
Old 12-09-02, 08:13 PM
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I have been going for a while, ours is .50 cents on tuesdays, and $1 before 5pm or $1.50 after 5pm on other days.

Right now, they have XXX, Spy Kids 2, The Master of Disguise, Halloween, Barber Shop, Abandon, Signs, Tuxedo, and Stuart Little 2.

I saw The Master of Disguise last week, and I am probably going to see XXX, Spy Kids 2, The Tuxedo, and Stuart Little 2 sometime this week or next. I may see Halloween, but I have only seen up to 5.
Old 12-09-02, 09:25 PM
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I always used to, but haven't in a while. I have some great memories of movies I've seen over the years at a local dollar theatre. Off the top of my head...

The Shawshank Redemption
Terminal Velocity
Screamers
Office Space
Star Trek: Generations
Braveheart

Anyway, always fun to recall.
Old 12-09-02, 10:23 PM
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I used to love going to the dollar movies, but the two theatres in the area closed a few years ago. Sucks


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